Best Blanched Recipes

Here's a classic basil sauce that won't turn brown the minute you toss it with hot pasta! The trick: Blanching the basil before making the pesto.
You may think that blanching the basil will take away some of its spunk, but be assured that it doesn't. Indeed, the technique won't take an ounce of flavor out of the aromatic leaves.
This extra step only adds a few minutes to the preparation of your pesto, but it'll give you a bright green sauce that will make all your favorite pesto dishes look as good as they taste.

This recipe, for home cooks, calls for store-bought ingredients. Although, it may take some time to make, but once you take a bit into the lobster roll and herb salad, you'll know that it was all worth it. Chef Marcus Samuelsson also suggests you pair it with the Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay for the best flavors.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson shares his holiday recipes and pairings. The two different parts to this recipe complement each other well balancing the flavors between savory and sweet. He also suggests you pair it with the Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay.

This is a slimmed down version of one of my favorite party foods--cheese fondue. Mashed cannellini beans slim down the recipe but keep a thick and luscious texture! For more recipes like these, visit SparkPeople.

An innovative salad recipe from home and style expert, Svitlana Flom, who is also the Editor-In-Chief of Art de Fete, an informative website that offers tips and recipes to help women enrich their home entertaining style.
Give yourself a healthy boost of energy by incorporating vegetarian dishes like this Rainbow of Carrots Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette into your diet. Crisp and sweet carrots are an excellent source of dietary fiber, antioxidants and minerals which help to keep your digestive system healthy, eyes bright and skin radiant. They come in a variety of colors, from the classic deep orange to purple, pink, red, white and yellow. In this salad, a sweet and spicy roasted bell pepper vinaigrette blends with the crunchy carrot ribbons, tender fava beans, sweet cherry tomatoes and paper-thin radishes in this superbly refreshing and health-giving salad. Slice, dice, dress and enjoy!
Click Here to See More Salad Recipes

Wondering why New England diners serve a bowl of onions alongside their Thanksgiving feast? Well, this is one dish that is meant to be enjoyed solo. The gentle cooking of the pearl onions, their mostly mild flavor, and the creamy sauce that enrobes them makes these onions not only palatable, but enjoyable.

"Jean-Georges Vongerichten first created this side dish as an all-green one, using pistachios. 'When I tried it with pecans, though, it was even better,' he says. The unconventional combination plays with textures (crisp roasted sprouts, creamy avocado) and flavors: 'When you roast Brussels sprouts, they get sweeter; but when you warm avocado, it gets a little more bitter.'"
— FOOD & WINE Magazine; recipe contributed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten